Scottish Executive

Asthma

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to reduce the number of serious asthma cases presented at accident and emergency departments.

Susan Deacon: The best means of reducing emergency cases is to improve the management of asthma. The Executive endorses the recommendations of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network on self-management and is funding the Scottish Asthma Management Initiative, one aim of which is to help General Practitioners to identify suitable patients and devise self-management regimes. A newly approved project, "Asthma Attack - Targeting Emergency Asthma Contacts in Children", will be looking specifically at emergency cases involving children with a view to reducing the numbers of such cases.

  The Executive also provides grant funding to the National Asthma Campaign Scotland, which works to support people with asthma and encourage them to take control of the condition.

Dental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is monitoring the implementation of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guideline No. 47, Preventing Dental Caries in Children at High Caries Risk: Targeted prevention of dental caries in the permanent teeth of 6 to 16-year-olds presenting for dental care.

Susan Deacon: Use of this guideline is being promoted through the work of the Scottish Council for Post-Graduate Medical and Dental Education and the Dental Health Services Research Unit in Dundee.

Environment

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses in Scotland have (a) applied for and (b) achieved the (i) ISO 14001 and (ii) eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) environment standard.

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it (a) made available in the last financial year and (b) will make available in the current financial year to help businesses achieve the ISO 14001 and eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) environment standards and which organisations were involved in distributing any such resources.

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who is currently responsible for the auditing of businesses for the ISO 14001 and eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) and the awarding of certification when these standards are achieved.

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information and support is being given to businesses in relation to ways to attain and maintain the ISO 14001 and eco-management audit scheme (EMAS) environmental standards and what public bodies are involved in providing such information.

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses in each local authority area have (a) attained and (b) maintained the (i) ISO 14001 and (ii) eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) environment standard.

Rhona Brankin: ISO 14001 and EMAS are voluntary schemes. ISO is not a Government-run accreditation scheme and the Executive holds no data on applications and accredited sites. As an EC scheme EMAS is a reserved matter. Details of EMAS registered sites are held on the EMAS website www.emas.org.uk .

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek a meeting with officials of the European Commission (EC) to discuss the future of the Scottish aquaculture industry and any measures which it wishes the EC to take in order to promote the sustainable development of the industry.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive is in regular discussion with European Commission officials about measures designed to ensure the sustainable development of aquaculture such as the review of the fish and shellfish health directives and the emerging fish welfare proposals, the operation of the EU/Norway salmon trade agreement and the Common Fisheries Policy, which embraces aquaculture development.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish details of its inquiry into the effect of the application of the Arbuthnott formula and whether it will provide details of any data involved, broken down by health board.

Susan Deacon: I announced on 21 March the formation of a Standing Committee, under the chairmanship of Sir John Arbuthnott, to keep both the formula for the allocation of resources to NHSScotland and the information used to support the formula under review.

  To date the committee has met twice but has not yet reached any conclusions on the matters it is considering and therefore has neither reported to me nor made any recommendations to me. However, I understand, that one of the issues discussed at the committee’s meeting earlier this month was how the work of the committee could be made public and it was agreed that the Scottish Health on the Web (SHOW) website would be the most suitable vehicle for this purpose. The committee will therefore be publishing a newsletter, outlining its work, on SHOW, in due course.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline its consultation processes in respect of general ophthalmic services.

Susan Deacon: When the Executive is considering changes to Scottish primary or secondary legislation, and other relevant issues which will affect ophthalmic practitioners, it seeks the views of the optometric profession’s representative bodies – the Association of Optometrists, the Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians, the Scottish Committee of Optometrists and others where relevant.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will endorse the guidelines issued by the College of Optometrists on recommended minimum re-examination intervals for patients.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive is currently seeking the views of the profession’s representative bodies on the guidelines which should be applied in Scotland. These will be broadly in line with the college’s guidelines.

Health Education Board

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what codes governed the procedures used in the recent appointment of a chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The procedures governing the appointment were those set out in The Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies .

  This is available from the website at:

  http://www.ocpa.gov.uk/leaflets/codeofpractice.pdf

Health Education Board

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to select the successful candidate for the recent vacancy for chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) and who carried out the interview.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to select candidates for (a) an initial shortlist and (b) a final shortlist for the post of chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what special expertise, knowledge and experience in relation to health education the chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland is required to have.

Susan Deacon: The following criteria were used to select candidates for interview and to determine their suitability for appointment. Copies of the criteria were provided to all applicants in advance of their application.

  Core criteria were that candidates must:

  have management experience at a senior or board-equivalent level in the voluntary, public or private sectors

  demonstrate leadership and motivation skills

  demonstrate the ability to see the "bigger picture"

  demonstrate the ability to think and plan ahead

  demonstrate the ability to understand complicated issues

  demonstrate the ability to work as part of a team

  be an effective communicator at all levels with good listening and interpersonal skills

  be able to take decisions on a collective basis

  be confident and willing to challenge and test proposals on which the board must decide

  demonstrate a strong personal commitment to the NHS

  demonstrate an understanding of, and interest in, government health policies

  be committed to engaging positively and openly with key partners and the public

  be committed to the idea of public service accountability, honesty, openness and equality of treatment and opportunity

  be able to spend around three days per week as Chair on the work of the board.

  Desirable criteria were that candidates would have:

  experience in serving in the voluntary sector, particularly in an organisation with links to the health sector

  experience of other countries’ approach to health education and improvement

  specialist skills or knowledge relevant to HEBS.

  Candidates were short-listed for interview by Trevor Jones (Chief Executive, NHSScotland), Ken Thomson (Head of Health Improvement Strategy Division, Scottish Executive Health Department) and Alistair Dempster (Independent Assessor).

  Those interviewed were invited to prepare a four minute presentation on "Making Health Improvement a Reality". The presentations were delivered at interview.

  The interviews were conducted by those who selected the short-list.

  As part of her induction as an independent assessor, Anne McLean attended the interviews as an observer but took no part in the interview process.

Health Education Board

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland declared any interests on being appointed and, if so, what those interests were.

Susan Deacon: In line with relevant guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA), all applicants for public appointments are required to declare any interests and to complete a question on their political activity. Neither activity nor affiliation is a criterion for nor a bar to appointment. In line with OCPA guidance, and to ensure openness in the appointments process, details of a successful candidate’s political activity and affiliation are given at the time an appointment is announced.

  A number of applicants for this post declared political activity, and affiliation and membership of political parties. The successful candidate’s political affiliation was included in the announcement of her appointment and her application confirmed that she had no other relevant interests to declare.

Health Education Board

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications were received for the recent vacancy of chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Susan Deacon: 13 applications were received.

Health Education Board

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when and where the vacancy for a chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland was advertised.

Susan Deacon: The vacancy was advertised from 20 April 2001 in The Scotsman , Scotland on Sunday , the Aberdeen Press and Journal , The Herald and the Dundee Courier and Advertiser .

Health Education Board

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Susan Deacon: As set out in the information provided to all applicants, the chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland has the following personal responsibilities:

  providing leadership to the board

  working with other board members to ensure that the board accepts collective responsibility for discharging its functions which will comprise:

  - setting the direction of the organisation within the overall policies and priorities of the Scottish Executive and NHSScotland, defining its annual longer-term objectives and agreeing plans to achieve them

  - setting financial targets for the board, monitoring the board’s financial performance and deciding on action to meet financial targets

  - the appointment, appraisal and remuneration of senior staff

  fully representing the board’s activities, in an open and positive way, to:

  the public

  local authorities

  professional and advisory bodies

  the media

  all other interested parties

  working with other health organisations and the Scottish Executive Health Department to make sure that there is a united approach to putting government health policy into practice

  ensuring that there is an effective dialogue between the board and its key partners on its plans and performance, and that these are responsive to the needs of the public

  developing an effective working relationship with the Chief Executive, other board members and staff of the organisation to fulfil the decisions of the board

  encouraging all board members to work as a team to contribute to the organisation’s work

  making sure that all board members are effectively trained and developed and that their performance is formally reviewed on a regular basis

  making sure that all board members follow the Standards of Conduct, Accountability and Openness of NHSScotland

  making sure organisational values and aims are clearly explained, understood and applied throughout the whole organisation

  making sure that the board sets up required committees such as audit and remuneration

  chairing board meetings and meetings of committees of the board, making sure that they discuss the main current issues and policies with the available information to hand, and that they make decisions in an open and responsible way

  accountability to Scottish ministers through the Minister for Health and Community Care for the organisation’s performance.

Health Education Board

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the remuneration package is of the post of chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Susan Deacon: £15,708 per annum (currently under review).

Health Education Board

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what requirements are placed on chairpersons of the Health Education Board for Scotland with regard to attendance at meetings and other official engagements.

Susan Deacon: The chairperson is responsible for representing the board’s activities in an open and positive way to the public, local authorities, professional and advisory bodies, the media and all other interested parties and for ensuring that there is an effective dialogue between the board and its key partners on its plans and performance, and that these are responsive to the needs of the public.

Health Education Board

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the period of appointment is of the chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The period of appointment is from 1 October 2001 to 30 September 2005.

Holyrood Project

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that there is no shortfall in its budget as a result of any increase in the cost of construction of the Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood.

Angus MacKay: The Draft Budget document published on 20 September sets out how the Executive plans to fund increases in the costs of the Parliament up to 2003-04. The increase will be met from the Reserve.

Housing

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what conditions will be attached to any payment to write off the housing debt of Glasgow City Council.

Jackie Baillie: Where proposals represent value for money and proceed to transfer, the arrangements for dealing with any residual housing debt, are as follows:

  the receipt from the transfer should be used to repay breakage costs associated with early debt repayment

  where the receipt is greater than the breakage costs the balance should be used for repayment of debt principal

  where the receipt is less than breakage costs the Executive will make additional resources available to cover the shortfall

  HM Treasury will make a one-off payment to cover the outstanding Public Works Loan Board debt principal.

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources will be made available to Lothian and BORDERs Police in view of any increased security requirements in Edinburgh as a result of international terrorism.

Mr Jim Wallace: Forces have sufficient funds to meet the existing policing requirements of their area and funding for the police service is currently at record levels. However, all forces continually review their requirements in light of local needs and circumstances. Where new pressures arise, the cost of which might distort the expenditure of the force concerned, there are provisions for Scottish ministers to consider the implications for that force’s budget. That process is an on-going one.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were detained in HM Prison Dungavel during each of the five years preceding its closure.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The available information is given in table 4 of Prisons Statistics Scotland, 1997; 1998 and 1999 published by the Scottish Executive. Copies of these documents are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 11178, 11179, 11180).

Prison Service

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S1W-17072 by Jim Wallace on 14 August 2001, whether it endorses the decision of the Scottish Prison Service to refuse prisoners in Scottish jails permission to take part in the Scene of the Crime art exhibition in Edinburgh when prisoners from English and Welsh prisons are being allowed to take part.

Mr Jim Wallace: I am aware that the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) does support prisoner involvement in a number of exhibitions and competitions annually. However, the particular exhibition referred to was thought likely to cause considerable public offence. The view of SPS was that families of victims of crime in particular, but also members of the general public, could reasonably be expected to find this proposition distasteful. Prisoner art displayed in a Scene of the Crime exhibition to be woven into a Murder Mystery Tour by a well known crime writer was not considered an appropriate context for the display of prisoner art in Scotland.

  I am satisfied that the SPS reached a reasonable decision in these particular circumstances.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the social work cost per prisoner was in each Scottish prison, including HM Prison Kilmarnock, in each of the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  The social work cost per prisoner is not a figure that is kept by SPS because the needs of individual prisoners and therefore costs are extremely variable, dependent, for example, on whether they are subject to post-release supervision and their level of vulnerability.

  The cost of social work to all SPS establishments from 31 March 2000 to 1 April 2001 (the first year these figures were sought) amounted to over £2 million. The average prison population during this period within SPS establishments was approximately 5,600.

  The cost for social work at HM Prison, Kilmarnock is not included in this figure as it is not an SPS managed establishment.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many whole-time equivalent nursing posts there currently are in each Scottish prison, including HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  


Establishment 
  

WTE 
  



Aberdeen 
  

6 
  



Barlinnie 
  

35 
  



Cornton Vale 
  

15 
  



Dumfries 
  

5 
  



Edinburgh 
  

20 
  



Glenochil 
  

15 
  



Greenock 
  

7 
  



Inverness 
  

3 
  



Low Moss 
  

5 
  



Perth (inclusive of Castle Huntly and Noranside) 
  

24 
  



Peterhead 
  

6 
  



Polmont 
  

16 
  



Shotts 
  

14 
  



Total 
  

171 
  



  Staffing levels at HMP Kilmarnock is a matter for the operators Premier Prison Services Ltd.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current design capacity is of each Scottish prison and what the average daily prisoner population was in each prison in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information for 2000-01 is given in the table:

  


Establishment 
  

Available Capacity 
  

Annual Average Capacity 
  



Aberdeen 
  

155 
  

173 
  



Barlinnie 
  

836 
  

969 
  



Castle Huntly 
  

151 
  

135 
  



Cornton Vale 
  

203 
  

190 
  



Dumfries 
  

110 
  

148 
  



Edinburgh 
  

579 
  

681 
  



Glenochil 
  

489 
  

480 
  



Glenochil YOI 
  

131 
  

129 
  



Greenock 
  

248 
  

269 
  



Inverness 
  

108 
  

126 
  



Kilmarnock 
  

548 
  

521 
  



Low Moss 
  

337 
  

308 
  



Noranside 
  

117 
  

116 
  



Perth 
  

543 
  

420 
  



Peterhead 
  

296 
  

291 
  



Polmont 
  

422 
  

392 
  



Shotts 
  

516 
  

518

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times disciplinary action has been taken against prisoners in (a) HM Prison Kilmarnock, (b) HM Prison Perth, (c) HM Prison Peterhead and (d) HM Prison Barlinnie in the last year.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information can be found in the SPS Annual Report.

Standards

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what category of membership Scotland currently holds with the International Organisation for Standardisation.

Ms Wendy Alexander: None. Membership of the International Organisation for Standardisation is open to the national standardisation body of a country and the member for the United Kingdom is the British Standards Institution.

Student Grants

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money each higher education institution received from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland in each of the last three years.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The following table shows the amount of tuition fees paid by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to each Scottish Higher Education Institution for the academic years 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01.

  


Higher Education Institution 
  

Tuition Fees Paid (£) 
  



1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



Aberdeen University 
  

5,409,808 
  

4,469,918 
  

6,007,688 
  



Dundee University 
  

3,677,799 
  

3,165,072 
  

4,044,677 
  



Edinburgh College of Art 
  

652,754 
  

575,330 
  

725,740 
  



Edinburgh University 
  

6,432,803 
  

5,387,640 
  

7,604,141 
  



Glasgow Caledonian University 
  

7,469,667 
  

6,831,982 
  

7,994,697 
  



Glasgow School of Art 
  

774,539 
  

678,166 
  

1,012,510 
  



Glasgow University 
  

10,013,080 
  

8,563,230 
  

11,619,467 
  



Heriot-Watt University 
  

3,064,823 
  

2,588,278 
  

3,627,173 
  



Napier University 
  

5,188,464 
  

4,626,533 
  

5,534,891 
  



Northern College of Education 
  

974,309 
  

914,062 
  

1,056,450 
  



Queen Margaret University College 
  

1,628,912 
  

1,726,915 
  

2,036,144 
  



Robert Gordon University 
  

4,530,095 
  

4,002,332 
  

5,322,560 
  



Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Drama 
  

269,321 
  

250,817 
  

397,460 
  



Scottish Agricultural College 
  

614,884 
  

540,270 
  

678,537 
  



St Andrews University 
  

1,715,211 
  

1,461,476 
  

2,125,539 
  



Stirling University 
  

2,867,077 
  

2,583,480 
  

3,322,790 
  



Strathclyde University 
  

9,521,889 
  

8,527,185 
  

11,506,388 
  



University of Abertay, Dundee 
  

2,421,342 
  

2,362,200 
  

2,932,050 
  



University of Paisley 
  

5,259,072 
  

5,026,941 
  

5,074,709 
  



Total 
  

72,485,849 
  

64,281,827 
  

82,623,611 
  



  Note: The figures in the table are not directly comparable. In 1998-99 and in 1999-2000, some fees were means tested. The balance of fee payments was for continuing students. In 2000-01, the agency paid the full tuition fee for all eligible domiciled Scottish students. This included EU students.

Waste Disposal

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any health risks associated with treated sewage sludge and, if so, how any risks are minimised when sludge is applied to agricultural land.

Ross Finnie: WRc’s (Water Research Centre) Review of the Scientific Evidence relating to the Controls on the Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge reported in 1998. It concluded that there is no direct evidence in the UK of adverse human health effects resulting from the transmission of pathogens from sludge.

  In addition, UK Water Research Industry Limited (UKWIR) is currently carrying out research to characterise the risks associated with the beneficial use of sewage sludge in agriculture. This study will be the subject of an independent peer review by the Advisory Committee on Microbiology and Safety in Food.

  Risks are minimised when sludge is applied to agricultural land by complying with the sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989, the associated Code of Practice and the "Safe Sludge Matrix". The matrix has been agreed between Water UK representing the water industry in the UK and the British Retail Consortium representing the major food retailers. It sets out the minimum acceptable level of treatment for any sewage sludge which is to be used in agriculture depending on the type of crop.

Waste Disposal

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been carried out into any health risks associated with treated sewage sludge.

Ross Finnie: WRc’s (Water Research Centre) Review of the Scientific Evidence relating to the Controls on the Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge reported in 1998. It concluded that there is no direct evidence in the UK of adverse human health effects resulting from the transmission of pathogens from sludge. In addition, UK Water Research Industry Limited (UKWIR) is currently carrying out research to characterise the risks associated with the beneficial use of sewage sludge in agriculture. This study will be the subject of an independent peer review by the Advisory Committee on Microbiology and Safety in Food.

Waste Disposal

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the laws with regard to the treatment of sewage.

Rhona Brankin: The Water Environment and Water Services Bill, which we plan to introduce to Parliament next year, will provide a new structure to protect Scotland’s water environment in a consistent and integrated manner. Measures in the bill, or related secondary legislation, may affect the treatment of sewage.

  We issued a consultation paper, Rivers, Lochs Coasts: the Future for Scotland’s Waters, on 29 June, outlining our policy intentions for the Bill. The paper is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 14576).

Waste Disposal

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the laws with regard to the application of sewage sludge to land.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive plans to incorporate the provisions of the Safe Sludge Matrix into revised regulations, which govern the application of sewage sludge on agricultural land. The matrix, which bans the use of untreated sewage sludge in agriculture and details restrictions on the use of two levels of treated sewage sludge, has been established following agreement between the water industry in the UK and the British Retail Consortium, which represents the food industry.

Water Fluoridation

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whom it consulted on its proposals for the fluoridation of the public water supply and when its report on this consultation exercise will be published.

Malcolm Chisholm: The arrangements for this consultation have not yet been completed but will be announced in due course.